TASS: Russia – Russian military to get equivalents of US missile defense systems soon

Russian military will soon receive equivalents of the United States’ missile defense systems THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) and GMD (Ground-Based Midcourse Defense), the general designer of the Almaz-Antei concern, Pavel Sozinov, said Monday.

“Russia is working on an equivalent of the THAAD missile defense complex, which is capable of intercepting ballistic intermediate range missiles and, to a certain extent, warheads of inter-continental ballistic missiles. It will undergo testing soon,” Sozinov said.

Russia is also creating an equivalent of another US missile defense complex GMD with the ground-based interceptor (GBI) missile,” he added.
“A mobile configuration of that system’s counterpart is being developed, too. It will have slightly different parameters. At the Defense Ministry’s request we are expected to achieve a far greater degree of accuracy. We are pushing ahead with research into the prototypes of these complexes. According to our estimates they will be able to enter duty in the near future,” Sozinov said.

The THAAD system is meant to protect the forces of the United States and its allies, and also cities and key facilities from all types of ballistic missiles. It intercepts the warhead in final phase of its path during the last minute of approach to target. Reports of plans for deploying THAAD launchers in South Korea have drawn angry protests from the neighboring countries. The Russian Foreign Ministry has warned that this measure might trigger an arms race in the region.

The GMD intercepts intercontinental missiles in the mid-course phase with ground-based interceptor missiles stationed in Alaska and California.